Lan Feng's consciousness was dragged violently into his spiritual sea, where a golden bead hovered, encircled by a dozen rotating rings. Above it, a counter had begun ticking down.
This was the true form of the system that had bound itself to his body.
A flood of information poured into his mind, forcing him to understand. The system was preparing to self-destruct—and in doing so, it would take him along with it.
"Wait, stop! Aren't you supposed to be my golden finger? Why would you blow me up?"
[World not compatible.]
The cold, mechanical voice echoed indifferently in his sea of consciousness. The counter ticked on.
15... 14... 13... 12... 11... 10... 9... 8...
"There has to be another way! We can make this world suitable for you! What if we change the rules, adapt them?"
The count faltered, pausing at 7.
[Proposal illogical. This world already possesses an established cultivation system. Altering it would require defying the will of the world.]
"Then let's do it!" Lan Feng gritted his teeth. "If mana and magic start existing here, if they're integrated into this world, that should solve the problem, right? You just need an environment to match you." Internally, he cursed his rotten luck.
This was absurd. Why had he been given a magic system in a world of cultivation? It was like tossing a giant mecha into a cowboy western. It simply didn't fit.
The system hesitated. The golden rings slowed, and the countdown froze at 3 seconds.
[Warning: Forcing the establishment of an alternate system may provoke unpredictable consequences. The will of the cultivation world will attempt to suppress us.]
"Let it try." Lan Feng smiled, though nervous sweat dripped down his back. If that timer hit zero, he'd be fireworks. "If you're really my system, then we don't bow to anyone. Do it."
A heavy silence stretched across his mind. Then the system's voice shifted, as if an irreversible choice had been made.
[Confirmed. Recalibrating... Supreme Mage System will be replaced.]
The countdown vanished. The golden bead burst into blinding light, flooding his spiritual sea with unknown arcane symbols. The rings reformed, etched with glowing runes.
[Update complete: Magical Conquest System installed.]
Lan Feng let out a shaky breath. He had barely saved his life.
Leaving his spiritual sea, a translucent screen appeared before his eyes:
Main Missions:
[Incomplete] Conquer the Martial World.
[Incomplete] Establish the Magic System.
"Now that I think about it... doesn't that sound kind of impossible? Golden fingers are supposed to help you. Mine tried to kill me the moment it linked up. How the hell am I supposed to establish magic in a world like this?"
[I don't know. That was your idea.]
"Great, thanks. Let's start small then. What can you do?"
[As long as you provide me with energy, I can convert it into points. Those points can be spent in the shop to exchange for items from magical worlds.]
"Well, that doesn't sound too bad." Lan Feng rummaged through his belongings, gathering every violet crystal he had.
He hesitated only a moment before adding the six hundred crystals he had once offered Yue Lian.
[Do you wish to convert 811 low-grade violet crystals into points?]
Lan Feng nodded.
The crystals, normally hard as steel, dissolved into glittering mist, streaming into his body and vanishing into the system.
[Conversion complete. You have obtained 811 exchange points.]
"Good. Show me the shop."
A new window unfolded, listing countless items within his budget.
He ignored weapons and supplements—fortunately, the shop came with a filter function that made searching far easier. His gaze landed on something curious.
"What's a Rift? There's no price listed."
[A Rift will open an incursion space. The more points invested, the stronger the magical entities within. These entities can be hunted, tamed, or released by the host.]
"That actually sounds... pretty good. What would I get if I dumped all my points into one?"
[Slimes.]
"Slimes? Only slimes?"
[Yes.]
"...Maybe later."
He reviewed everything carefully. By the time the sun began to sink, only a handful of viable options remained.
If he wanted this system to work, he needed money—far more than he could reasonably ask from his father. His first goal, then, was simple: become rich.
He saw a few paths forward.
First, raw strength. With power, wealth would follow naturally.
Second, secondary professions.
In the cultivation world, countless side paths existed: formation master, alchemist, blacksmith, and many others. They were profitable, though time-consuming and talent-dependent. Still, most cultivators eventually picked up a side job to support their main path.
But Lan Feng wasn't interested in their professions.
Without hesitation, he spent his points.
[200 points exchanged: Beginner's Potion Manual]
[200 points exchanged: Beginner's Guide to Enchantments]
[200 points exchanged: Magical Weapon Forging, Volume I]
He hesitated for a moment before confirming another.
[200 points exchanged: Knight Training, Part I]
According to the system, he was highly compatible with magical frameworks, so diversifying wasn't a problem. Still, he didn't forget to strengthen his body along the way.
Originally, he had been tempted to buy spell manuals—something to finally let him throw fireballs from his hands. But even the cheapest spellbooks started at 1000 points, and worse, using magic would make him a blazing beacon.
In a world where not even Martial Soul cultivators could replicate such feats, a "Foundation Establishment brat" tossing fireballs would be the same as wearing a neon sign that read: I'm hiding a huge secret—come rob me.
"I'll have to go slow. One step at a time."
He opened the Knight Training manual and began to read.
"...I don't understand a damn thing."
He had lived in this world long enough that its terminology wasn't completely foreign. But when it spoke of stimulating mana, sublimating the soul, and generating aura, it felt like he was trying to read in another language entirely.
"Don't you have a function where I just learn it instantly after buying it?"
[No. Those functions lack depth. If I simply engraved manuals into your mind, you would stagnate sooner or later.]
Lan Feng groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Great. My golden finger's not only murderous—it's also stingy."